


The Shield

by MimiWritesHerFandoms



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 12:32:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18343763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MimiWritesHerFandoms/pseuds/MimiWritesHerFandoms
Summary: Inspired by the Avengers Endgame trailers. Does not contain spoilers.





	The Shield

He felt like he’d been through every room of the compound and that was saying a lot. He’d finally ended up standing in front of the door to the one room he hadn’t wanted to enter.

Tony’s lab.

The lights were off, the computers inside dark, and Tony’s robots were tucked in one corner, covered with blue painters tarps, the only things Rhodey had been able to find. Steve punched in the code to release the lock mechanism, his hand shaking, forcing him to punch it in three times before it worked. He stepped inside, closed the door behind himself, and leaned against it.

It was like there was a soundtrack of Tony’s voice playing in his head, snippets of things he’d said over the years ringing in his ears.

_Genius. Billionaire. Playboy. Philanthropist._

_Is no one going to comment that Cap just said “language”?_

_Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth._

_That shield doesn’t belong to you. You don’t deserve it! My father made that shield!_

Steve scrubbed a hand over his face, gritting his teeth as he swiped at the tears he hadn’t realized he was shedding until his hand came away damp. Why could he only remember the heated exchanges, the angry words? Why was that the place his head went? Tony had been his friend, but for some reason the memories of the good times weren’t playing on a loop in his brain. He pushed himself off from the door and moved to the far side of the room. He’d start there and work his way through the lab until he found it.

He had no idea how long he was there or how many cabinets and boxes he dug through, but even after he’d made a full circuit of the room, he still hadn’t found it. He shoved everything he pulled from the last cabinet back in place, everything but a small, rectangular, metal box, and dropped to the floor. He sat with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, staring at the floor, trying to channel his inner Tony so he could figure out where it was, where he could have hidden it. Frustrated, he grabbed the edge of the counter to pull himself to his feet, the metal box falling to the floor, hitting it with a hollow clanging sound.

Steve stopped, one eyebrow quirked, staring at the floor where the small box had hit. He crouched down, his fingers resting lightly on the dark wood. He took a deep breath and pushed, exhaling as the wood popped open, revealing a small compartment. He reached inside and felt around, finally finding a switch in the upper right hand corner. He flipped it.

The wall on the far side of the lab slid open, revealing a wall of weapons. Hanging in the center, prominently displayed, was the shield. Steve slowly crossed the room, his eyes on the white star in the center, on the blue and the red. It had obviously been polished and cleaned, the vibranium shining in the fluorescent lights.

Once he crossed the threshold into the space housing the shield and weapons, a red light popped on, scanning him from head to toe. A disembodied voice, eerily similar to J.A.R.V.I.S.’s spoke:

_Steven Grant Rogers, also known as Captain America. Access granted._

A screen appeared as if out of nowhere and then, Tony’s voice filled the room, his face on the screen, serious, contemplative.

“Hey, Steve. Looks like you found your shield. Yes, your shield. It’s always been yours, even after everything.” Tony blew out a shaky breath and continued. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. You’re my friend, you always have been and I let things come between us that I never should have. If I could go back and change things, I would. Too bad you can’t turn back time, huh? I don’t know what happened to bring you here or why I’m not here, fighting beside you. But, it must be bad.” He cleared his throat. “Take the shield, Steve. Take it and do what needs to be done. Whatever it takes.” The screen went blank.

Steve wiped at the tears once again sliding down his face. He lifted the shield from the wall and slid it onto his arm. It was like he’d never lost it, an extension of him.

“Steve?”

He scrubbed a hand over his face again before turning to see Nat standing in the doorway.

“Yeah?”

“You need to see this.”


End file.
